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Two maps showing the territory known as the Northwest Ordinance of 1787:

Northwest Ordinance Notes:

• For the Articles of Confederation to take effect, all 13 States had to agree and many were still arguing over land (states with access to western lands, could sell that land for revenue to pay war debts while other states didn't have that luxury)
• The Northwest Ordiance strived to solve the land problem by putting land disputes for arbitration by Congress
• In 1787, Congress set up a model/outline for future land areas when becoming a state (60,000 inhabitants to apply for statehood)
• The "Northwest Ordinance" was the region that became Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin
• The ordinance focused on the rights of settlers, banned slavery and set up the first "public" schools
• The ordinance had a specific template for how the land would be distributed (click on the map link above)

Shay's Rebellion Notes:

• Took place in western Massachusetts in 1786
• Many soldiers in the Continental Army returned to farming. With so many farmers producing crops and the loss of business with Great Britain, prices dropped and many couldn't pay off their debts and taxes (taxes were raised by the state to cover war debts)
• The state began seizing the properties of these indebted farmer veterans
• Daniel Shay's, a former officer in the Continental army, led a force of 1200 angry farmers in a rampage, destroying court buildings and attempting to seize a state arsenal to get more weapons
• The Mass. Militia comes in and defeats Shay's force
• Ultimately this incident has larger ramifications as many colonists now believe a stronger centralized government is needed to maintain order in the new country.